Never Be the Same Again
by praiseofshadows
Summary: Seto and Mokuba struggle to understand. Incestful.
1. Never

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh, the American School in Tokyo (AMSJ), and the Melanie C song are not mine. Now that we've established that...on with the story!

_And so it begins..._

I.

A knock.

"Mokuba?"

He didn't answer, but the door hinged open anyway.

"Kiyahasa is waiting with the helicopter."

The room was darkening rapidly in the twilight. He hadn't bothered turning on any of the lights, so his brother's form was backlit in the doorway. Mokuba's breath hitched.

"Reiko called twice."

Mokuba sat on his futon, knees tucked up to his chin. He seemed mindless of the damage he was doing to his tux.

"She's worried." Nisama's tone implied that it was _he_ that was worried but dared not say so. Mokuba watched as Nisama entered the room. Everyone always watched when Nisama entered a room.

"Yeah...that I'll ditch her, and she'll have to go alone," Mokuba said.

He felt the futon shift as Nisama sat down next to him. He could feel the heat of Nisama's body, close enough to touch.

"I just find this so stupid." He tugged at his collar.

"You seemed happy enough when you and Reiko bought the tickets."

Mokuba twisted so he could stare up into his brother's eyes. "Everyone else was doing it. And I thought it could be fun, but now...everyone's hyping it up, and I feel nothing. I just don't understand."

He hadn't cried in years, but his voice was dangerously close to breaking.

"I'll call Reiko," Nisama offered. "Say you're sick."

Nisama never lied. Nisama thought you should follow through on what you said...or die trying.

Mokuba swallowed. Hard. Then pushed up, so he could stand. "No, it's all right. I'll go."

He watched as Nisama stood as well. "I don't want you to be unhappy—"

Mokuba fled the room.

II.

Seto didn't think Mokuba would home that evening. He didn't have first-hand knowledge of American prom night, but even he had seen enough American teenage films.

He had never regretted his decision to send Mokuba to the American School of Tokyo.

But Mokuba had looked so depressed. Dejected. Did Mokuba regret? Would Mokuba have rather gone to a normal high school? A more prestigious one? Or even local Domino High?

Seto hated having doubts.

He hated even more to be surprised, and so he scowled when he heard the front gate open at 1:15. He abandoned both his line of code and the spreadsheets on the Chinese gaming market.

Seto made it to the top of the stairs, but the doorbell never rang. Instead, his brother, tie in hand, swung the door open. His hair had been released from its neat tie, and it scattered around his face. He looked more than like his ten year old self than a seventeen year old, and Seto wondered if that had been the point.

Seto also hated thinking Mokuba was capable of guile.

"Nisama." Mokuba didn't say it so much as a greeting, more like an acknowledgement of a fact.

He had been crying.

Seto couldn't bring himself to ask how it went.

"I had a horrible time," Mokuba said quietly. "I stayed long enough for Reiko to get pictures."

Seto didn't remember going down the stairs, but suddenly he was just in front of Mokuba. He didn't dare touch him.

Mokuba's hand reached out, warm against his cheekbone. "It's okay, Nisama. I won't break." The foyer seemed to suck his words away, and Seto had to strain to hear him. Then a hint above a whisper, "Please..."

Seto hugged him. They weren't a touching family, so it was awkward, but Mokuba seemed to like it, relaxing instantly. He could feel the wetness on Mokuba's cheeks pressed against his chest, could feel the trembling in that small body.

"You don't have school tomorrow," he said brusquely. "We'll do something together. The two of us." Even though he had a board meetings and a finance strategy session.

He could feel Mokuba nod. Feel Mokuba's heartbeat. It wasn't good to be so close.

"Can I...can I...sleep with you tonight?" Mokuba didn't lift his head from Seto's chest.

Seto didn't want to say no. He didn't want Mokuba to be upset, ever. He wanted Mokuba to always be happy.

"All right."

They hadn't slept together since the night they had been on the Ishtar's barge. Mokuba had been eager to grow up, after that. He had even put all his stuffed animals in boxes, neatly labeled.

They lay there, in Seto's futon, sides not quite touching.

"I don't want to go away to university. Especially not the United States."

Seto didn't answer.

"No one can understand, and they laugh when I say I don't want to leave my nisama."

Mokuba's fingers latched onto Seto's forearm.

"I thought there must be something wrong with me. I thought I could grow up, just like them. I tried. I really did. But then...tonight...

"We're not like everyone else, are we, Nisama?"

Seto had tried so hard to let Mokuba be like everyone else.

"No, Mokuba," he said. "we're not like everyone else."

Mokuba shifted, so he was lying half over Seto's chest, face buried in the juncture between Seto's chin and shoulder. Seto could feel Mokuba's warm mouth.

III.

Mokuba woke up.

Nisama wasn't awake yet. Mokuba wondered if you could kiss someone awake, like they did in movies. But this wasn't a movie. This was he and Nisama, and so he settled for curving himself into Nisama's sleep-slack embrace and falling back asleep.

He woke to an empty futon. The clock read 8:15. Nisama was in the home office, then, taking calls.

He rose, cheeks heating as he looked at down at the futon, at the imprint of the two bodies.

Nisama didn't even look up as he ghosted in the doorway. Nisama always knew when he was about.

"I'll be done in a minute, Mokuba. I just want to send out a few emails."

Mokuba nodded, more to himself than anyone else. He entered the room, the sudden shock of hardwood floor on his bare feet making him shiver.

"Thank you for listening to me last night."

Nisama stopped typing. "I had no idea you were so unhappy. You should have told me sooner." It wasn't a reproach, and Mokuba didn't take it as one.

"You couldn't have done anything," Mokuba said. And it was true. "I had to figure it out for myself." He edged closer still to Nisama.

Nisama ignored the laptop completely and stared up at him. Mokuba didn't like being taller than Nisama, so he advanced: throwing a thigh over Nisama's lap as he joined his brother in the chair. Nisama smelled like yesterday's aftershave, the detergent last used on the futon, and underneath that spicy scent that had always been a part of Nisama's skin.

He pressed closer, hands twisting about Nisama's neck. He could feel Nisama's hands tentatively stroke his back, and he _knew_—he knew, and Nisama knew, and they both knew the other knew.


	2. Not a Secret

_To understand the present, you must know the past..._

The American School of Tokyo did not allow open campus for lunch. Neighbors of the school had told the school exactly what they thought of the students: nuisances. _Especially_ the high school students. So, instead, the seniors clustered around the tables closest to the door, as if the mere thought they _could_ walk out (and face detention) was an assertion of the independence they so desperately craved.

One table held two students, a boy and girl, sitting opposite from each other. Both had identical haircuts: shaggy layers, and both were speaking in rapid, native Japanese.

"So what are you getting him?"

Mokuba was in the process of lifting a _sashimi _roll to his mouth. His hand went still, the _sashimi _quivering precariously in between his chopsticks.

"You _are_ getting him something?"

He set his chopsticks down. "Of _course_ I'm getting him something."

Reiko crossed her arms, looking at him long and hard across the lunch table. "But you haven't yet."

"No. But I _will_."

They glared at each other before Mokuba lowered his eyes back to his _sashimi._ Honestly, he wasn't even sure why Reiko was harping on this issue. He should never have even told her when Nisama's birthday _was_.

"Mokuba-kun...I just don't get it. You practically worship the man, and yet you haven't done a _thing_. And it's the day before his birthday."

"Yeah, well, I've been busy," Mokuba grumbled.

"We're going shopping after school."

"You might be. _I'm_ busy. I'll do it later." There was a dangerous edge to Mokuba's tone, the kind a boy's voice got just before a fight broke out. He wasn't sure why this made him so angry, so upset, but he did _not_ want to talk about Nisama right now. Or maybe not _ever_.

"Okay. Okay. Hey, d'you think Johnny will go with me to prom?"

Mokuba was glad that the conversation had returned to non-Nisama related topics, even though he knew Reiko was only doing it as a favour to him and not because she actually considered Nisama to be a casual lunch topic. Like she did her crush on Johnny. And senior prom.

No, even Reiko knew that Nisama was in a league of his own.

He settled his mouth into a teasing grin, picking up his chopsticks again. "Prom is, like, months away, Reiko-chan. Ahead of yourself much?"

"No offense, but I'd like to go with a crush."

"Rather than me, you mean?"

"Well, you're better than going alone."

"Thanks. I think."

"Although I might be persuaded if we can arrive in the helicopter."

"You mean, you're too chickenshit to ask him. You didn't ask him to the fall formal, and you've had a crush on him since last June."

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

Mokuba went white, eyes jumping to her face. She stared knowingly back at him, and he realized that the turn of talk to Johnny and prom hadn't really been a change of subject at all.


	3. At the Movies

_Other people start to wonder..._

No one was really sure why Mokuba always acted as if he and Kaiba were on a date. But he did, especially when the Kaiba brothers were at the movie theatre.

Mokuba would be idly leaning against Kaiba's shoulder as they stood in line. Or they would be off to the side, waiting for their theatre to open, and Mokuba would hanging on Kaiba's arm.

With his hair straightened and a dark blue sweater replacing his normal sweatshirts and vests, Mokuba could pass for a girl. And the kohl he rimmed his eyes with made him more than just pass.

Kaiba never seemed to notice. Or care. They weren't really sure. For as long as they had known him, Kaiba had always let Mokuba do whatever he wanted.

Tonight, Mokuba was munching popcorn, and Kaiba was standing behind him. Mokuba kept offering the box back to Kaiba, and Kaiba kept refusing.

Then Mokuba saw them. He never blushed, never looked embarrassed about what he was doing. Instead, he was always all smiles. "Hi guys!"

"Mokuba-kun." Yugi seemed the only one ever capable of answering. Anzu would look worried, and Jou and Honda just stared, open-mouthed, though everyone was getting used to this ever-more-common sight.

"We're seeing—" and here Mokuba would name some film. Everyone was in agreement that Mokuba probably chose the movies because no one could imagine Kaiba agreeing to sit through inane, romantic comedies for anyone but Mokuba.

Sometimes the two were seeing the same film Yugi and the others were seeing, but Mokuba never acted like he hoped they'd all sit together. Kaiba just sort of stood there in a way that implied that no, he didn't know these people; they were friends of Mokuba's.

Tonight they weren't seeing the same film.

"Oh," said Yugi. "We're seeing—" And here he named their film.

"We saw that last week," Mokuba said, mouth full of popcorn. "It was pretty good. I especially liked the ending." He turned towards his brother. "Ne?"

"Aa."  This was more than anyone generally got out of Kaiba.

"Oh! Our theatre's opened." Mokuba grasped his brother's hand, dragging him forward and away from the group. "See you guys later!"

No one ever could really manage a "bye" in return.


	4. Valentine's Day I

_Valentine's Day..._

"How much chocolate are you planning on making, Reiko-chan?" Mokuba said as he entered the kitchen. The countertops were filled with cooling molds, cooled molds, and chocolates that had already been popped out of the molds. A large saucepan was on the stove, and Mokuba's stomach rumbled slightly at the smell of melting chocolate.

"Shut up and stir," Reiko commanded, handing Mokuba a spoon and pushing him in the direction of the stove.

The chocolate was still thick, not yet at the right consistency for the molds, and so Mokuba began to half-heartedly stir.

"So…are you giving _giri-choco_ to the whole of KaibaCorp?" Mokuba wanted to know. "'Cos honestly, Reiko-chan, this is a bit excessive - even for you."

"I'm just trying to make a good impression," Reiko said. He couldn't see her face, but he could hear the brittleness in his friend's voice and knew it was probably reflected in her smile. "The newest OL always has the hardest time," she continued in a slightly singsong voice.

"So this has nothing to do with Sanshiro-kun dumping you?" Mokuba had been sidestepping the issue for days now, and as much as he knew they'd have a fight about it, he was glad he had said it.

"Honestly, Mokuba, give me a _little_ credit. I dumped him, remember?"

Mokuba continued to stir the chocolate.

"All right. That's a lie, isn't it?" Reiko said. "He dumped me," she said as if it were a new fact and not something she had known for a week. And then it all came out in a rush: "And I know it's stupid, and I know I should move on. And I know I should stop thinking he's going to come back."

She gave a little gasp, and Mokuba turned off the burner, ready to hold her when she began to cry.

"I didn't even get to kiss him goodbye."

Reiko didn't cry gracefully, but then neither did Mokuba, and the two had been friends for far too long to worry about the aesthetics of crying.

"I'm sorry, Reiko-chan," he whispered as she sobbed, her head buried in his shoulder.

She sniffled pathetically, and Mokuba hugged her a bit tighter.

"And I know it's petty, but couldn't he have waited until after Valentine's Day? I mean, what kind of guy breaks up with a girl one week before Valentine's Day?"

It was on the tip of Mokuba's tongue to say, _Assholes like Sanshiro_, but he knew it was too soon to start that just yet.

"My mother called you to come over, didn't she?" Reiko asked later, when she had recovered, and the two of them were making up small packets of chocolate for each-and-every KaibaCorp corporate employee. They had a system: Mokuba would place a small handful of the heart-shaped chocolates on a square of plastic wrap, and Reiko would tie up the plastic wrap with pink and red ribbons.

"Well, she was just the slightest bit worried about your sudden Martha Stewart transformation."

"Yeah. I surprised even myself with it," Reiko tried to attempt a rueful grin. "Hell, I've surprised myself about a lot of things this week."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Reiko-chan," Mokuba said. He stopped. Swallowed, and then blurted out, "I'd be devastated if Nisama left me."

Reiko stopped fiddling with the ribbons and looked up, staring at him with those wide-set eyes that were so much like his own. Mokuba knew why: he had flat out admitted what they both knew but never discussed; namely, that Seto was to Mokuba what Reiko's boyfriends were to her.

"H…he…wouldn't leave you, " Reiko said in a whisper. "And he wouldn't let you leave. He loves you. Too much."

"Reiko—" His voice sounded like a stranger's, far too small and tight.

"Did you get him anything?" she asked, her voice sounding faint to Mokuba as the blood pounded in his ears. "For Valentine's Day?"

"I-I made chocolate."

Surrounded as they were by piles of Reiko's chocolates, they both began to laugh, but it had more than a touch of hysteria to it.


	5. Valentine's Day II

Seto woke up to find his head on his desk, pen and notebook pressing into his cheek. He sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. It was already light outside, and when he looked down at his watch, he saw that it was far too late in the morning to return home for a shower and change of clothes.

He made do as best he could, straightening his tie and running his fingers through his hair. By the time his secretary arrived, he had already made himself coffee and was back at work, staring again at both his computer screen and his handwritten notes from the night before.

"Good morning, Kaiba-shacho," Akiko greeted him, placing the morning paper on the corner of his desk.

He grunted something that he hoped she'd take as affirmative.

Then later, as the coffee began to take effect, he asked, "Has Mokuba come in yet?"

Akiko turned, not bothering to hide her surprise. "He didn't come in with you?" she asked.

"No," Seto said.

"Oh. _Oh_," she said.

"What?"

"It's just that I saw him earlier. With the new OL." Akiko seemed rather pleased about this. Seto didn't bother to wonder why. He briefly flirted with the idea of warning Reiko and Mokuba that they would be in the newest set of office rumours before discarding the idea. People were here to work, not engage in gossip.

He returned to his programming and before he knew it, Akiko announced she was going to take her lunch break.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kaiba-shacho."

Seto looked up. Reiko stood before him, looking eerily like a female version of Mokuba. She was holding out a small bundle of what could only be handmade chocolate, and she had a small, tentative smile of her lips.

"I…um…made a bit too much chocolate yesterday," she said in answer to his questioning stare. "And…um…Mokuba and I have been making the rounds all morning. Delivering it." She put the chocolate on his desk, right on top of the morning paper. "I'll go now. I know you're busy—"

"Wait," Seto heard his voice say. He didn't really care, but she was his brother's friend, and no matter how tired he was, he always tried to put in at least _some_ effort for Mokuba's friends. "Thank you, Reiko," he said.

She bowed before leaving the office.

The next person to come in was Mokuba, pockets bulging with _giri-choco, _not all of it Reiko's.

"You didn't come home last night," he announced in a tone that suggested he'd not be entirely adverse to a fight.

"No," Seto said.

"You can't keep doing this, Nisama," Mokuba said, as he began to empty the contents of his pockets onto Seto's desk. "It's not healthy. And I'm not ten anymore and so easily distracted."

There was something in Mokuba's earnestness that was irresistible, and Seto began to chuckle in spite of himself.

"Have you even eaten anything today?" Mokuba asked, coming round to the other side of the desk and touching his brother's cheek. "Nisama?"

Seto usually lied, or at least omitted most of the truth, but he could rarely do so when confronted by the one person he had spent his life lying _for_.

"No," he admitted. "Just coffee." He picked up one of Mokuba's bundles and untied the ribbons. "And now chocolate," he said as he popped one into his mouth.

"Oh, Nisama." Mokuba sighed and leant against the back of his brother's desk chair. It was odd to have Mokuba taller than him for once, but at the same time, it was comforting to know that Mokuba was behind him. Even now.

Seto ate the chocolates methodically, with no indication of whether they were good or bad.

"Reiko says you love me," Mokuba said.

There was silence and then, "Reiko occasionally knows what she's talking about," Seto said.

"Then why do you do this to yourself, Nisama? Why? You know I'd rather have you alive twenty years from now than KaibaCorp, don't you?"

In answer, Seto reached up for the hand still on his cheek. It trembled beneath his grip, but Mokuba allowed their fingers to entwine together.

"Do you," Mokuba asked carefully, "have any idea how worried I am about you?"

"Don't," Seto said, pulling Mokuba's hand down to his mouth and pressing his lips upon the back of it. Like a seal or a brand or a burn: no matter what he did, he always seemed to hurt Mokuba. He might have said more, but Akiko chose that moment to return from lunch.

Mokuba didn't wash his hand the rest of the day. Even though Seto's mouth had left just the slightest residue of chocolate.


	6. Valentine's Day III

They went home together that evening. This was unusual, but Mokuba didn't question it, content to watch his brother from the passenger seat. The only sign of Seto's fatigue was the tighter-than-usual grip upon the steering wheel.

Seto didn't seem to want dinner, and Mokuba didn't push it. It was enough that Seto was home. He followed his brother into the bedroom, watching as Seto began to strip from the two-day old suit.

"Why were you and Reiko talking about us?" Seto asked.

"She and Sanshiro broke up," Mokuba heard himself say, mind still stuck on the _us_. "Last week."

"Huh."

That was probably all he was going to get out of Seto tonight, and Mokuba was glad because he didn't want to deal with some sort of deep talk when Seto had had no sleep. Seto usually had his worst ideas then, no matter how creative Seto thought he was being.

Seto surprised him, however, by adding, "Well, that's not so shocking, really."

"Oh?"

Seto pulled on a pair of loose pants and tied the drawstring cord tight about his waist. Mokuba frowned as he noticed that Seto had lost weight again. Perhaps all the chocolate he had consumed today would help, but somehow, Mokuba thought not.

"Sanshiro's not exactly reliable," Seto elaborated as he made his way into the bathroom.

This was true, but Mokuba had never thought that Seto had paid that much attention to Sanshiro. After all, they had only met twice in passing and both times at Reiko's apartment.

Mokuba ghosted into the bathroom after his brother, watching as Seto began to wash his face. He decided that if they were going to talk about Reiko and Sanshiro, he might as well bring up his own tattered plans for the evening.

"Nisama," he said, "You do know what day it is?"

"Monday," Seto said promptly, his face buried in a towel and somewhat muffled. He then raised his head and quirked his lips at Mokuba's reflection in the mirror. "Of course I know what day it is."

"Well, Reiko wasn't the only one who decided to cook," Mokuba began.

"Oh?"

"I-I made a cake," Mokuba said. "Heart shaped. It's chocolate. And I frosted it and everything, and I put raspberries all over the top." The rest came out in a rush, "And I made chocolates, too, but you're probably sick of chocolates after everything you ate today and –"

Seto shut him up with a kiss. Mokuba froze for a second, his eyes drawn to the picture they made in the mirror, before his eyes closed, and he kissed back. The tightness in Mokuba's chest began to dissolve.

Mokuba had been dreaming of Seto's kisses for years, but those half-remembered fragments could never compete with the solid reality of his brother. His arms went about Seto's neck, mouth parting and mind blocking everything but the warmth of Seto's body and the sweetness of his mouth.

"Let's go eat your cake," Seto said when they had pulled apart, and Mokuba was almost too breathless to say anything in answer.

"And my chocolates" Mokuba managed, one hand running down the length of Seto's arm. Their fingers locked together.

"And your chocolates."

They held hands the entire way to the kitchen.


	7. When We're Together

**Disclaimer: **Yu-Gi-Oh tisn't mine.

**A/N:** A series of inter-connected drabbles set in the "Never" universe. For the "10 passions" challenge on livejournal.

**13. Farewell**

Mokuba dislikes saying goodbye to Nisama, even for something as mundane as a two-day trip to Osaka, and he pouts until Nisama agrees to take him.

He says a silent farewell to Domino as the train speeds out of the station, squeezing Nisama's hand in a surge of anticipation.

"Vacation," he says in sing-song.

"Business," Nisama reminds him.

They're sitting close together but not too close for brothers, and none of the train's other passengers can see their joined hands, tucked into Nisama's trouser pocket.

And Mokuba's already thinking of tonight, the way their bodies will entangle.

Like their fingers.

**12. Loving Embrace**

They have a business dinner right after they arrive and that means Mokuba must smile and smile and drink and smile some more. Agree with Nisama in all the appropriate places and compliment (but never too extravagantly, mind) the woman sitting next to him.

When it's all over, Mokuba slumps against Nisama on the elevator ride to their hotel room. "I had too much to drink," he confesses.

"I noticed," Nisama says, a propriety arm on Mokuba's back.

"Mmm."

And then Nisama's swinging Mokuba up into his arms, and Mokuba's snuggling his head into the scratchy wool of Nisama's suit-coat.

**11. Rough Hands**

The elevator finally stops at their floor, and Nisama strides remain the same, despite the additional burden of Mokuba. Nisama unlocks their door and kicks it closed behind him. He then deposits Mokuba onto one of the hotel room's beds.

Begins to undress him.

Nisama has rough hands: calloused from years of that man's training. But they feel oh-so-wonderful on Mokuba's skin, slip-sliding beneath the layers of cotton and wool to touch and tease.

Undo.

Mokuba can feel the softness of the bed beneath him and the solid weight of Nisama atop of him.

They kiss each other breathless.

**10. The Road Back to You**

The next morning, Mokuba lounges in bed while Nisama showers, dresses, and attends business coffees, business teas, and a business luncheon.

Mokuba takes tea with toast and relishes the sweet ache in his backside.

But, eventually, he rises, showers, and dresses. Waits.

For Nisama said that the afternoon would be just for the two of them, and after laughing himself silly over the implausibility of the latest NHK dramas, he's up and greeting Nisama in the foyer of their hotel room when he hears the key turn in the lock.

"I'm all yours," Nisama promises as Mokuba kisses him hello.

**9. Starry Heavens**

Dusk falls while they're still on the Osaka Castle grounds. Mokuba's had very enjoyable afternoon, playing the wide-eyed tourist and tasting all of Osaka's delicacies from the street vendors.

Nisama has that fond little smile on his lips, the one that says he's actually content for once, and Mokuba is glad that he convinced his brother to let him come on the trip.

He tugs on his brother's sleeve. "Orihime's getting closer to Hikoboshi," Mokuba says in a conspiring whisper.

"Oh?" Nisama quirks a brow.

They face each other: the heat of their bodies reminding them of their own closeness.

**8. The Space Between Us**

It's dark, and they should really be getting back, but they'd rather press up against each other.

"There's still too much space between us," Mokuba mumbles into Nisama's neck. He's leaving marks as he sucks at the skin, but so long as Nisama continues to wear collared shirts, they'll remain almost invisible.

"Shh," Nisama croons as he pushes a thigh between Mokuba's leg.

And all of Mokuba's complaints turns to moans Nisama's hands on Mokuba's hips help him rock back and forth, creating a burning sweet friction.

Mokuba feels the press of Nisama against his hip. Revels in it.

"Nisama!"

**7. Don't Be Afraid**

All too soon, they're back in Domino.

Back to their established routines of Nisama working himself to death and Mokuba attempting to remind Nisama that there are things other than Kaiba Corp.

But Nisama's getting better, Mokuba thinks. Since Valentine's Day, Mokuba''s stopped being so fearful of Nisama falling asleep behind the wheel on the drive home.

Of having to identify the mangled body at the morgue.

He's grown used to Nisama easing into bed only a little after midnight. Of greeting him with a sloppy kiss and maybe sloppy lovemaking.

Of holding him tight and never letting him go.

**6. Addicted to Your Touch**

Nisama's on the phone yelling at the idiots at one of the plants, and Mokuba's running interference for the rest of the office. Because no one dares approach Nisama when he's in such a mood.

At lunch, he brings Nisama lunch from the shop round the corner, carefully oh-so-carefully kneading the tension out of those broad shoulders.

And Nisama isn't kicking him out, so Mokuba thinks that he's done his job well, all things considering.

He stays curled up in Nisama's lap for the rest of the afternoon, sometimes drowsing and sometimes not, giving out butterfly-light touches and comforting murmurs.

**5. His Place**

For his birthday, Nisama buys him an apartment.

It's small and in one of Domino's trendier districts, and Mokuba absolutely adores it.

He decorates it in sharp contrast to the cold, well-proportioned beauty of the Kaiba mansion. Instead, there are bursts of colour; antiques nestled up to the modern; pockets of kitsch just for the hell of it.

Fills it up with his love.

Best of all, it's within walking distance of Kaiba Corp, and he can almost always get Nisama to take a break for a piping hot, homemade meal or a few minutes' rest in a comfortable chair.

**4. Hidden from the World**

"I love this place," Mokuba tells Nisama, but what he means is _I love you_.

Nisama's head is pillowed in Mokuba's lap, and Mokuba is lazily playing with Nisama's hair, attempting to tease a few of Nisama's natural waves out of the gel.

"Mmm," Nisama agrees, running a thumb up and down the inside of Mokuba's thigh. They've spent the day abed, formally breaking in Mokuba's new futon for the apartment.

They're not actually living there, of course, but it's so nice to have a place where no one can easily find them. Where even Nisama's cell-phone is turned off.

**3. Sarcasm**

Mokuba finds himself needing the safe haven of his apartment even more after Nisama hires a new director of marketing.

He's blunt with a sarcastic edge to his words that (of course) Nisama approves of.

But he never listens to Mokuba, never takes Mokuba seriously, despite the fact Mokuba _is_ the vice president.

He doesn't want to bother Nisama with it, but inside – oh, inside – he burns with a passionate hatred for one Fujiwara Sanjiro.

Nisama knows something's wrong, but he doesn't push, only holds Mokuba tight.

Kisses him like he's the most precious thing in the world.

**2. Along the Moonlit Bay**

"Let's go out," Mokuba says one night, wired after a long afternoon of coffee and paperwork.

"Just one more column," Nisama protests, but Mokuba's already on his feet and fetching a sweatshirt because the night had turned cool.

They're at the mansion and that means a vast expanse of private land overlooking Domino harbor. And it's a full moon, and summer's slowing turning to autumn, and Mokuba realizes that he's never had such a good summer.

Wishes on the moonlight reflecting on the water to have just as good an autumn, and Nisama good-naturedly teases him for being so superstitious.

**1. Secret Encounter**

The next morning, their good mood is still almost a palatable thing, riding the air between them.

The usually harassed office ladies are smiling their thanks whenever they pass by Mokuba's desk, and even Reiko leans over and whispers, "Geez, Mokuba, what'd you do to him? He's almost normal, today."

Their praise makes Mokuba daring, more daring than he usually is, and he steals kisses from Nisama when the two of them are in the washroom.

And Nisama doesn't push him away with a scowl and a hiss of, "Not here," but kisses him back, mouth tasting coffee and toothpaste.


End file.
